I’m a voracious reader, especially when it comes to tea, but all of those books can get expensive. Luckily there are several older books that are now public domain so they’re available for free on Kindle. While some of the facts may have changed a bit since their publication, these books serve as windows to the past of our beloved beverage. Did I miss a book? Let me know about it in the comments!
The Little Book of Tea by Arthur Grey
A fun little book that was published in 1903. I found it hilariously old fashioned but was surprised to see teas like puerh mentioned.
The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura
While this book is bit more about philosophy than tea itself, many consider it a classic of Japanese tea culture. I purchased a hardcover copy when I first got into tea and have reread it many times since.
Tea-Cup Reading and Fortune-Telling by Tea Leaves, by a Highland Seer
This one is a bit of light-hearted fun. I’ve never been one for fortune telling but it was interesting to read about anyway.
A Treatise on Foreign Teas by Hugh Smith
There’s nothing quite like a quirky 1700’s diatribe on the evils of “foreign teas”. This reads like a book but it’s actually one very long winded advertorial for Dr. Solander’s Sanative English Tea.
Tea Leaves by Francis Legget
This book is for the history buffs. Although it’s not exactly about tea it is a really detailed historical account of the Boston Tea Party. I found all of the first person accounts fascinating.
All About Tea Volume 1 and All About Tea Volume 2
William Uker’s tomes on tea are very hard to come by in print and they are usually extremely pricey. I was super excited to discover them on Archive.org for free.